Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Calibrachoa sp. cultivar Cal Litelaver.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Calibrachoa plant, botanically known as Calibrachoa sp., and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name xe2x80x98Cal Litlaverxe2x80x99.
The new Calibrachoa is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Gilroy, Calif. The objective of the breeding program is to create new Calibrachoas with uniform plant growth habit and flowering and flowers that remain open.
The new Calibrachoa originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in September, 2000 of a proprietary Calibrachoa selection identified as 38-1, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with a proprietary Calibrachoa selection identified as 77-4, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Calibrachoa was selected as a single flowering plant from the resulting progeny by the Inventor in a controlled environment in April, 2001 in Gilroy, Calif.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken in Gilroy, Calif. since April, 2001 has shown that the unique features of this new Calibrachoa are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Cal Litlaver have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Cal Litlaverxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Cal Litlaverxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Uniform, outwardly spreading, mounding and trailing plant habit.
2. Freely and continuous branching habit; dense and bushy plant growth habit.
3. Very freely flowering habit, numerous light lavender-colored flowers with yellow-colored throats.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gilroy, Calif., plants of the new Calibrachoa differed from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Calibrachoa were more freely basally branching than plants of the female parent selection.
2. Plants of the new Calibrachoa had smaller leaves than plants of the female parent selection.
3. Plants of the new Calibrachoa and the female parent selection differed in flower coloration as plants of the female parent selection had pink-colored flowers.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gilroy, Calif., plants of the new Calibrachoa differed from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Calibrachoa were more freely basally branching than plants of the male parent selection.
2. Plants of the new Calibrachoa had darker green-colored leaves than plants of the male parent selection.
3. Plants of the new Calibrachoa flowered earlier than plants of the male parent selection.
4. Plants of the new Calibrachoa and the male parent selection differed in flower coloration as plants of the male parent selection had magenta pink-colored flowers.
Plants of the new Calibrachoa can be compared to plants of the Calibrachoa cultivar Million Bells Sweet Pink, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gilroy, Calif., plants of the new Calibrachoa differed from plants of the cultivar Million Bells Sweet Pink in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Calibrachoa were more upright than plants of the cultivar Million Bells Sweet Pink.
2. Plants of the new Calibrachoa had longer internodes than plants of the cultivar Million Bells Sweet Pink.
3. Plants of the new Calibrachoa had lighter lavender-colored flowers whereas plants of the cultivar Million Bells Sweet Pink had red purple-colored flowers.